Appendix III

Additional Activities to Enhance the Learning Standards

Physical Sciences

In this Appendix are additional activities to enhance the learning standards. Activities in regular type are Ideas for Developing Investigations and Learning Experiences, those in italics are Suggested Extensions to Learning in Technology/Engineering.

Grades PreK-2

Standard #1

Group a variety of objects according to the characteristics that they share, e.g., height, shape, hardness. (T/E 1.1)

Mystery Tactile Box-20 Questions about the objects in the box. (T/E 1.1)

Standard #2

Get three small transparent closed containers. In each put a different small solid object, e.g., marble, screw, eraser. Partly fill each of three more containers with a different liquid, e.g., water, oil, honey. Manipulate the closed containers. Note the property shared by all solids (they have definite shape) but not liquids.

Observe water as it changes from a solid (ice) to a liquid (water).

Using a piece of paper, design a container that can be filled with water. Explore how many times the container can be filled with water before it falls apart. Discuss why some designs may be more effective than others. (T/E 1.1, 1.2)

Standard #3

Use solid objects such as a ball, a cube, and a cone. First try to roll each object on a hard smooth level surface. Observe and describe its motion and the path it takes. Next, tilt the surface, place each object on it at the center and release the object. Observe and describe its motion and the path it takes. Repeat using various surfaces, e.g., rough, soft.

Design a simple structure that will roll (e.g., cylinder) using simple classroom tools and materials (e.g., construction paper, glue, paste, scissors, tape, straws). Change the design so that the structure will roll in a different direction. (T/E 1.3, 2.1)

Standard #4

Measure the distance that objects move on a hard, smooth surface after being pushed or pulled with different force. Repeat using various surfaces, e.g., rough, soft.

Manipulate various objects. Observe the different methods (forces) that you can use to make objects move. Include pushing with a stick, pulling with a string, and pushing by blowing on a light object.

Use the objects from the preceding activity and an inclined smooth hard surface. Note that objects slide or roll down.

Standard #5

Balance a large block of wood on a smaller one (fulcrum). Observe that adding some weight to one end of the large block will unbalance it. Find ways to keep it balanced by using two weights, one on each side of the fulcrum.